Anxiety in medical conditions

Anxiety in medical conditions

Anxiety in medical conditions

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Anxiety in Medical Conditions - Medically-Induced Jitters

  • Key Principle: Always rule out underlying medical or substance-related causes before diagnosing a primary anxiety disorder. The temporal link is crucial-symptoms manifest after the onset of the condition or substance use.

  • Common Medical Culprits:

    • Endocrine: Hyperthyroidism, pheochromocytoma, hypoglycemia.
    • Cardiopulmonary: Myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism, SVT.
    • Neurologic: Seizure disorders, vestibular dysfunction.
  • Substance/Medication-Induced:

    • Intoxication: Caffeine, stimulants (cocaine, amphetamines).
    • Withdrawal: Alcohol, benzodiazepines, opioids.
    • Medications: Corticosteroids, albuterol, theophylline.

⭐ A patient presenting with paroxysmal spells of anxiety, palpitations, headache, and sweating should be evaluated for pheochromocytoma.

Pheochromocytoma on Adrenal Gland

Common Medical Causes - The Body's False Alarms

Anxiety symptoms can be mimicked by various medical conditions, crucial to rule out in diagnosis.

SystemConditionKey Clues
EndocrineHyperthyroidismHeat intolerance, weight loss, tremor, tachycardia
Pheochromocytoma📌 PHEO: Palpitations, Headache, Episodic sweating
HypoglycemiaTremor, diaphoresis, confusion, often in diabetics
CardioMI, PE, ArrhythmiaChest pain, sudden dyspnea, palpitations
NeuroSeizures (esp. partial)Aura, automatisms, post-ictal confusion
RespiratoryCOPD, AsthmaDyspnea, wheezing, history of lung disease

Diagnostic Workup - Playing Medical Detective

Initial screening is crucial to differentiate anxiety from underlying medical conditions. The goal is to rule out organic causes before diagnosing a primary psychiatric disorder.

  • Core Labs: TSH/T4, CBC, CMP, Urine toxicology screen.
  • Cardiac: ECG to rule out arrhythmias or ischemia.
  • Pulmonary: Consider ABG/D-dimer if Pulmonary Embolism (PE) is suspected (sudden onset dyspnea).

⭐ Always consider pheochromocytoma in patients with episodic anxiety, headaches, palpitations, and hypertension. A 24-hour urine metanephrine and catecholamine measurement is a key diagnostic step.

Management - Calming the Storm

  • Primary Directive: The first step is always to treat the underlying medical condition causing the anxiety.
  • Symptomatic Relief:
      • Long-term: SSRIs or SNRIs are the first-line agents for sustained management.
      • Short-term Bridge: Benzodiazepines can provide rapid relief but should be used cautiously for brief periods.
      • Somatic Symptoms: Beta-blockers (e.g., propranolol) are effective for controlling palpitations and tremors.
  • Psychotherapy: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is crucial for addressing maladaptive thought patterns.

⭐ When anxiety is due to pheochromocytoma, never give beta-blockers alone. Always initiate alpha-blockade first to prevent unopposed alpha-agonism and hypertensive crisis.

  • Always rule out a medical cause for new-onset anxiety, especially in patients with no prior psychiatric history.
  • Key mimics include hyperthyroidism, pheochromocytoma, hypoglycemia, and cardiopulmonary conditions like MI or PE.
  • Consider substance/medication-induced anxiety (e.g., caffeine, stimulants, corticosteroids, withdrawal).
  • A thorough physical exam and initial labs (TSH, glucose, EKG, urine toxicology) are crucial.
  • Treatment should primarily target the underlying medical condition first.

Practice Questions: Anxiety in medical conditions

Test your understanding with these related questions

An 18-year-old man presents to the student health department at his university for recurrent palpitations. The patient had previously presented to the emergency department (ED) for sudden onset palpitations five months ago when he first started college. He had a negative cardiac workup in the ED and he was discharged with a 24-hour Holter monitor which was also negative. He has no history of any medical or psychiatric illnesses. The patient reports that since his initial ED visit, he has had several episodes of unprovoked palpitations associated with feelings of dread and lightheadedness though he cannot identify a particular trigger. Recently, he has begun sitting towards the back of the lecture halls so that he can “quickly escape and not make a scene” in case he gets an episode in class. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

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Flashcards: Anxiety in medical conditions

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Importantly, to classify a patient as having Generalized Anxiety Disorder, symptoms do not meet the criteria for _____

TAP TO REVEAL ANSWER

Importantly, to classify a patient as having Generalized Anxiety Disorder, symptoms do not meet the criteria for _____

major depressive disorder

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